Game and method for teaching

ABSTRACT

A game for teaching reading includes a deck of cards having matching pairs of cards that rhyme with one another. Four cards are dealt to each player to create a hand of cards for each player. The remaining cards are placed in a “draw” pile. Players check for matches and discard them. A first player looks at the cards in his hand and asks a second player if the second players hand consists of one of the cards in the first player&#39;s hand. If the second player has the card, she passes it to the first player who makes a pair and discards them into a discard pile. Otherwise, the first player draws an additional card from the “draw” pile of cards. Play continues when the second player asks another player for a card that matches one of the cards in her hand.

There are no related patent applications.

The present invention did not receive federally funded research and development funds.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Generally, this invention is a card game and method of teaching pupils how to read and/or spell. More specifically, the present invention concerns a learning experience that includes a game that teaches word associations through verbalization and recognition of word families or sets of rhyming words or groups of words. The sets or groups of words are preferably three and four-letter words. However, it is to be understood that the complexity of the word associations may be increased or decreased to create a game that best suits a particular age group. In this manner, the learning experience is enhanced and converted from a mundane chore to a fun and enjoyable experience for young children as well as others.

One of the greatest tragedies that threatens American society is illiteracy or an inability of some high school graduates to read. Due to the agrarian nature of American society in the early twentieth century, illiteracy was not recognized as a problem. Many physical labor jobs were prevalent during this time period. Thus literacy was not recognized as a key skill necessary for getting ahead.

In recent years, outsourcing of many manufacturing jobs and a shift from manual to skilled labor has brought illiteracy to the forefront of American society. There exists a crisis in many public schools where students are not taught to read and are passed from grade to grade without learning the necessary skill sets for coping with everyday life in the modern American society. Thus, a percentage of high school graduates are awarded diplomas without being able to read. One of the goals of the present invention is to solve this devastating educational problem.

The problem can be addressed and solved by teaching young children basic words that comprise between three to six letters that rhyme through a card game. By providing words that range in size from between three and six letters, an environment is created that differentiates and encourages all skill levels within a classroom. The enormous power of “rhyming words” has been recognized by the inventor, who is an educator. She has recognized that young children love playing games that use rhyming words. Moreover, this is a powerful tool for teaching children to read. For example, no matter how old we are, we can still remember rhyming songs that were taught in our earlier years. Words to the songs “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and “Jack and Jill” are examples of these songs that include rhyming words.

At an early age, children can be easily taught the use of rhyming words to identify words and groups of rhyming words. In this manner, children begin to recognize sets of rhyming patterns in the English language. These teach the children to identify basic words, or syllables that are used in the English language. From these, the children acquire a basis for reading other more complicated words. The educational process is thereby made fun and American children learn to read more easily. This in turn strengthens American communities by reducing the illiteracy rate in America. Moreover, the present game may be used to teach Immigrants basic language skills and others skills for surviving in American Society. The game may also be used for rehabilitation purposes for injured adults.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention combines the power of “rhyming” words, and incorporates them in an enjoyable and easy to play card game in which the children may participate. The rules of the card game are simple and easy to understand. As the game is played, the student learns to recognize everyday three, four, five and six-letter words to be able to read them and properly comprehend the meaning of each word. Moreover, the face and the back of each card may include indicia such as a picture, drawing or shape that identifies the word and a meaning thereof. Preferably, the indicia on the back of the card may be represented by a four letter word and the title of the game. This further reinforces recognition of written language association which in turn teaches the participant, in a enjoyable way, to read and understand these words. The game may be modified to facilitate other basic learning skills such as identification of basic shapes, grammar skills including identifying contractions or compound words, vowels and consonants, basic money skills, and arithmetic procedures such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, matching one or two words with the appropriate contraction, capitals and lower case letters, numbers in various forms (example word and tallies), opposites, fractions, decimals, percentages, telling time, shapes, metaphors, antonyms, synonyms, similes, homonyms, rhyming words in any letter combinations, questions and answers to review and study all areas of any school curriculum (for example, in social studies, the card one could read, “Who was the first president of the United States?” and the match would read, “George Washington”). In science, for examples, card one might read, “What is a property of water?” The match might read, “It will not hold its shape”.

A plurality of playing cards are created comprising of matching pairs of cards whose faces both contain a three to six letter word that rhymes with similar three to six letter words featured on the face of the other pairs of playing cards.

For instance, a first pair matching playing cards might feature the word “hall” on it. The second pair of matching playing cards could feature the word “tall” on it. An opposite or back side of each card displays a picture of a common item that rhymes with the displayed word on a face of each card such as a ball along with the title of the game. In this manner, the pupil easily identifies that each word displayed on a face of each card rhymes with this item. The face of the card may include an illustration that identifies with the word written on the face. Thus, participants playing the game simultaneously learn the meaning of the word. Other acceptable rhyming words may include “call”, “stall”, “wall”, and “mall”.

Otherwise, the cards may include further words that rhyme with one another to form various pairs. In this instance, the game is modified to include a third pair of matching playing cards which could feature the word “tell”. The fourth pair of matching playing cards could feature the word “sell” on it. The fifth pair of matching playing cards could feature the word “bell” on it. Other pairs of matching playing cards can also be made featuring rhyming four letter words that have one vowel and end with a double consonant, as stated below or any vowel and consonant combinations.

Examples of three letter rhyming words would be “hat”, “bat”, “mat”, “cat”, and “fat.” Other three letter rhyming words could be “fog” and “dog”, “toy” and “boy”, and “guy” and “buy.” These and other rhyming three and four letter words will become apparent upon further contemplation and playing of the new and novel game.

Further objects of the invention may include a new teaching method; a new card game; the reduction of illiteracy rates in America; and, an increase in memorization techniques for learning and retaining other types of information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart that teaches the learning method of the invention.

FIG. 2A shows a dealt hand having four players. Each player's hand comprises four cards. FIG. 2B shows after the first player has created a match.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in limiting sense. From the above disclosure of the general principles of the present invention and the preceding detailed description, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend the various modifications to which the present invention is susceptible. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims and equivalents thereof.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the process steps for playing the learning game. Cards are dealt to players from a deck consisting essentially of rhyming words. Any cards not dealt to players are used to form a pile of cards from which to draw. Players first check their hands to see if they have any matching pairs of cards. If so, they discard the pair. Next, a first player reviews the cards in his hand and asks a second player for a card that matches one of those present in his hand of cards and shows the card. The second player indicates whether he or she has the card by either surrendering it the first player or indicating that the card is not present in his hand by saying the name of the game; for example, “Go Ball”. If the first player creates a pair then his turn continues. Otherwise, he draws a card from the pile of cards that have not been dealt. If he cannot create a pair from the deck, the next player in sequence repeats the steps of the first player.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are views of the game being played. As shown in FIG. 2A, four cards 5 have been dealt to four players, represent as respective hands of cards A through D. In this instance, a motif shown on one side of each card is a ball. Card deck 10 includes cards not dealt to the players. As shown in these figures, a backside of each card has a motif or an illustration displaying an easy to understand object that rhymes with the words or illustrations that are displayed on an opposite side of each card and are used for creating matched pairs of cards. A name of the game may also be present on the backside of each card. Player A reviews his hand and asks player B for a “call” card. As shown in FIG. 2B, Player B then surrenders his “call” card to Player A who forms a pair of cards 20 and discards them. If Player B did not have a “call” card, he informs Player A to go ball, referencing the motif shown on the cards. This tells Player A that he should draw a card from the deck 10. If he does not draw a “call” card from the deck, then the next player in sequence begins his or her turn.

A preferred method of playing the, card game includes providing a deck of cards, each card having a motif on one side of the card with the game's title and individualized words or illustrations displayed on a side opposite the motif. Matching pairs of cards are included in the deck of cards and are necessary for playing the game. Each matching pair of cards displays the same word and/or illustration opposite the motif. The words and/or illustrations displayed opposite the motif, rhyme with the word or illustration displayed on the motif. The size of the deck of cards may vary in accord with the number of players such that the game may be played between two individuals up to a dozen or more players. Though it should be understood that controlling a dozen or more young children may be difficult and more adult supervision may be required.

In a preferred embodiment, the size of the deck may be approximately thirty-two cards, containing therein sixteen matching pairs of various rhyming words, preferably three or four letter words. However, it can be recognized that more or less cards may be provided in the deck, depending on the number of players and the difficulty level for the words may also be increased or decreased as necessary.

The participants preferably sit around in a circle or face one another. To begin the game, the deck is shuffled with the motifs showing up, and a plurality of cards are dealt to each participant, until each participant has a hand of cards. Each participant's hand preferably includes between four and six cards. The remaining cards are kept in the deck and placed on the playing table in a stack with the motifs showing up such that the words or illustrations on the opposite side of the cards remain unknown to the participants.

After the hands are dealt, each participant reviews his hand of cards to determine whether he has been dealt a matching pair of cards. If he has been dealt a pair of matching cards, the participant audibilizes or otherwise indicates that a match has been made. This may be done by saying or calling the name of the word or the illustration displayed on the opposite side from the motif out loud, displaying the matched pair to the other participants and placing the matched pair of cards in the discard pile 20 as shown in FIG. 2B in the middle of the table.

Next, the first participant randomly picks a second participant from the circle or group. The first participant then reviews the words or illustrations that are displayed on the cards opposite the motif and which are held in his hand. The first participant then asks the second participant whether he has a card that matches one of the words or illustrations held in the first participant's hand, while displaying the word or illustration to the other participants.

For example, a deck of cards may include a motif that has the word “ball” and/or an illustration depicting a ball. A card in the hand of the first participant may display the word “hall”. The first participant asks the second participant whether he has a “hall” card. If the second participant has a “hall” card, he gives his “hall” card to the first participant. The first participant's hand then includes a matched pair of cards which he discards into a discard pile of cards consisting essentially of matched pairs of cards. If the first participant creates a matched pair of cards, he then gains another turn. In this instance, he asks the second participant or another participant for a card matching another in his hand. If the first participant continues matching pairs of cards until he has none left, then his turn is over and the second participant's turn begins with him asking another participant for a card which is held in the second participant's hand.

Otherwise, if the second participant's hand does not include the card requested by the first participant, the second participant tells the first participant to “Go Ball”, which informs the first participant to draw an additional card from the remaining deck. If the additional card drawn from the deck of cards matches the one that the first participant requested from the second participant, then the first participant's turn continues. If the additional card does not create a match with the one requested by the first participant, then another participant's turn begins.

If the child does not receive the card he asks for from the deck, he loses his turn, and preferably the player to the left of him has a turn to continue the game. The first child to discard all his cards may be declared the winner of the game or the player with the most matches when all matches are displayed. However, it is preferred that the game is played in a manner where there is no winner.

As stated in the appended claims, the game may also be played using only three letter rhyming words, or a mixture of both three and four letter rhyming words.

With very young children, or children with reading difficulties, one may wish to first start off with a deck consisting only of the simpler three letter rhyming words. As the children progress, one could move on to using the deck containing the four letter rhyming words, or a deck containing a mixture of three and four letter rhyming words.

One could also vary the difficulty of the deck by varying the percentage of three and four letter rhyming words, such as having one deck consist of essentially of 75% of four letter words.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact construction illustrated and described above, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. 

1. A method of playing an educational card game, said method comprising: providing a deck of cards, each card having a motif on a first side and having a word that rhymes with the motif provided on an opposite side and the deck further including matching pairs of cards; shuffling the deck of cards in a manner such that the motifs are displayed; dealing a hand of cards to each participant; keeping remaining cards that have not been dealt to any participant in the deck and placing the deck on a playing surface in a stack with the motifs showing up such that the words on the opposite side of the cards remain unknown to the participants; having each participant review his hand of cards to determine whether he has been dealt a matching pair of cards; having a first participant randomly pick a second participant from the circle or group; having the first participant review the words that are displayed on the cards opposite the motif and which are held in his hand; the first participant then asking the second participant whether he has a card that matches one of the words held in the first participant's hand, while displaying the word to other participants; and, the second participant responding to first participant by either surrendering the card that matches one of the words held in the first participant's hand or indicating that the first participant should draw an additional card from the deck.
 2. The method of claim 1 further including matching a pair of cards and discarding them.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing the deck of cards includes providing cards that have an illustration.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the words displayed opposite the motif, rhyme with the word or illustration displayed on the motif.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing a deck of cards, each card having a motif and a game title on a first side and having a word that rhymes with the game title provided on the opposite side and the deck further including matching pairs of cards further includes including a deck of thirty-two cards, containing therein sixteen matching pairs of various rhyming words.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein dealing a hand of cards to each participant includes dealing a hand of between four and six cards.
 7. The method of claim 1 further including having each participant indicate when he has been dealt a pair of matching cards, showing them, and discarding them.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein having each participant indicate when he has been dealt a pair of matching cards includes saying or calling the name of the word or the illustration displayed on the opposite side from the motif out loud, displaying the matched pair to the other participants and placing the matched pair of cards in the discard pile in the middle of the table.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein if a first participant creates a matched pair of cards, he then gains another turn.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein said second participant repeats the steps of asking another participant for a particular card in the second participant's hand.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein if the first participant continues matching pairs of cards until he has none left, then his, turn is over and the second participant's turn begins with him asking another participant for a card which is held in the second participant's hand, such that when the first participant's turn comes around again, the first participant may draw a card to continue in the game.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein if an additional turn is awarded a participant which has not created a match, and upon drawing an additional card from the deck of cards matches the additional card to one that the participant had requested from another participant.
 13. The method of claim 1 further including declaring a winner when a participant discards all the cards in his hand or all card matches have been made and the winner is the participant that has the greatest number of card matches.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein no winner is declared.
 15. The method of claim 1 wherein if a participant does not receive the card he asks for from the deck, he loses his turn, and the participant to the left of him has a turn to continue the game.
 16. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of dealing a hand of cards to each participant includes dealing cards with words that consist essentially of three letter rhyming words,
 17. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of dealing a hand of cards to each participant includes dealing cards that consist essentially of three and four letter rhyming words.
 18. A method of playing an educational card game, said method comprising: providing a deck of cards, each card having a motif and the game title on a first side and having a word that rhymes with a word in the title provided on an opposite side and the deck further including matching pairs of cards; shuffling the deck in a manner such that the motifs are displayed; dealing a hand of cards to each participant; keeping remaining cards that have not been dealt to any participant in the deck and placing the deck on a playing surface in a stack with the motifs showing up such that the words on the opposite side of the cards remain unknown to the participants; having each participant review his hand of cards to determine whether he has been dealt a matching pair of cards; a first participant picking a second participant from the circle or group; the first participant reviews the words that are displayed on the cards opposite the motif and which are held in his hand and asks the second participant whether he has a card that matches one of words or illustrations held in the first participant's hand, while displaying the word or illustration to the other participants; and, the second participant surrendering a card that matches one asked for by the first participant, otherwise the second participant informing the first participant to draw an additional card from the deck by telling the first participant to “go ball.”
 19. A method of playing an educational card game, said method comprising: providing a deck of cards, each card having a motif and a game title on a first side and having a word that matches another word provided on a different card such that the deck further includes matching pairs of cards; shuffling the decks in a manner such that the motifs are displayed; dealing a hand of cards to each participant; keeping remaining cards that have not been dealt to any participant in the deck with the motifs showing up such that the words on the opposite side of the cards remain unknown to the participants; having each participant review his hand of cards to determine whether he has been dealt a matching pair of cards and indicating as such; having a first participant pick a second participant and having the first participant review the words that are displayed on the cards opposite the motif and which are held in his hand; the first participant asking the second participant whether he has a card that matches one of the words held in the first participant's hand, while displaying the word to participants in an attempt to create a matching pair of cards; and, matching a pair of cards and discarding them. 